John Mayer talks voice issues, being an 'idiot' on 'Ellen'

Former guitar-solo-face-making bad boy John Mayer is pretty serious about courting forgiveness for past transgressions. The entirety of his new album Born and Raised is a lengthy apology to the people—mostly female—he’s wronged over the past few years. And yesterday, he took the seat opposite Ellen DeGeneres to chat about his tabloid-worthy exploits.

“It was a very strange time and it sort of rocketed me into adulthood,” Mayer told the host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “It was a violent crash into being an adult.” That violent crash was the main reason Mayer decided to decamp from L.A. to a ranch in a particularly remote part of Montana. “The question ‘Why Montana?’ is the answer,” he said. “Why not be happy after awhile? You get to a certain age where you prepare yourself to be happy, sometimes you never remember to actually get happy. So I remembered how to get happy.”

The move allowed him not only to focus on Born and Raised, but also on his own personality. “For a couple of years, it was just figuring it all out, and I’m glad I actually stayed out of the spotlight,” he said. “It was like, ‘No, idiot. Go away and be 33 and 34 instead of 28 for the fourth year.’”

Mayer also discussed his other big problem: The fact that he currently isn’t allowed to sing. Damage to his vocal cords forced him to delay the release of Born, and a setback stemming from his surgery put an end to his summer tour before it got started.

Though some have whispered that he may never sing again, Mayer himself seemed slightly nonplussed about the whole thing. “They cut this thing out of your throat and then they inject your vocal cords with Botox, which freezes your vocal cords so that this thing can heal without smacking up against the other side,” he explained. “I just need more Botox next time.”

DeGeneres also got Mayer to discuss one of his favorite TV shows. “I love The Bachelor,” he explained. “It’s not a guilty pleasure. It’s designed to be a pleasure. I would love to meet the guy who cuts that show. It’s their voice. It’s a producer’s ball game. I love it.” Check out his full analysis below.